The Hindu : Kerala / Kozhikode News : Hartals and strikes hit academic activity

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Saturday, Jul 26, 2008
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Kerala - Kozhikode

Hartals and strikes hit academic activity

J.S. Bablu

Functioning of CBSE and ICSE schools most affected

Already five to six days lost within two months
CBSE stipulates more than 200 working days

Kozhikode: Frequent hartals and strikes are taking a toll on the academic activities of CBSE schools in the city.

The Kerala Federation of CBSE and ICSE Schools at their meeting in Kochi on Sunday requested organisers of hartals and strikes to exempt the schools from their agitations and decided to approach the court on the issue.

Already five to six academic days were lost this academic year owing to such agitations at the national, State and local levels. And that too even before completing two months of the new academic year.

The CBSE stipulates more than 200 working days in schools affiliated to it. “But frequent hartals and education bandhs upset the academic schedule. The school authorities would be forced to declare holidays on those days and if the school buses ply they would be targeted by the agitators,” says Fr. John Mannarathara, Principal, Devagiri CMI Public School, Kozhikode.

All political parties ought to have a consensus on exempting the schools from such agitations, according to Fr. Joswin Thundathil, Principal, Silver Hills Public School, Kozhikode. “As we have a teaching schedule prepared beforehand, it gets affected by sudden calls of hartals. The result is the truncated learning process, which affects the understanding of students. Students would be more stressed. Also, we have to limit or cut short the time devoted to extra-curricular activities,” says Fr. Thundathil.

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School, Chevayur, is working on all Saturdays except second Saturdays for higher classes from this year to compensate for the losses, says Lalitha Nair, Principal.

Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram seem to be more affected by local-level hartals in this academic year. Schools are devoting extra time to make good the loss. “We have extra morning sessions and evening sessions to compensate. Saturdays are earlier devoted to extra-curricular activities, now classes have to be taken on Saturdays also,” points out A. Chenthamarakshan, Principal, Veda Vyasa Vidyalayam, Malaparamba.

The CBSE syllabus is heavier than State syllabus and hence requires more working days. According to Dr. Ajitha Hemachandran, Principal, MES Raja Residential School, Day Scholars’ Wing, Pavangad, all the students are evaluated on an equal footing at the Board examinations at 10th and 12 classes. “Also, they have a lot of project and practical works. Saturdays are already working days and hence working on additional days is not an option for us, ” Ms. Hemachandran says.

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